Care Consultation is an in-depth, personalized service for individuals and families who are facing many decisions and challenges associated with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. The goal is for each family to develop a better understanding of the disease, make a plan to secure needed care, and develop strategies for the best possible symptom management and communication. Consultations are provided in person and by phone. Consultants are also available to answer questions by email.

How Care Consultation has helped other people...

"My father suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and I am increasingly concerned about myself and wondering whether I am also likely to develop the disease. I have read about genetic testing that would let me know what the future may hold for me. Is this something I should consider?"

Genetic testing for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an issue that comes up quite often on the Chapter’s 24- hour Helpline. People throughout the five boroughs are wondering whether or not they should get tested and what the implications of the test results may be.

"David, 50, and Chris, 46, had not been in touch for several years. The only time they spoke was when it pertained to their parents, who live together in their own home in Queens and both suffer from dementia. Despite little communication, the siblings are both involved in their parents’ care. If one sees the other’s car in the driveway, he keeps on driving. And vice versa. This has been going on for over a year."

"Luz’s mother and father lived together in their downtown Brooklyn apartment until 2004, when her father passed away from cancer. In the months leading up to her Dad’s death, Luz began to notice some changes in her mother — her memory, mostly, but also some changes in her personality. Mom used to be sweet as pie but now, she can turn on a dime and gets very defensive whenever Luz asks her anything."

"Carla, who has dementia, was living by herself in her Manhattan apartment. Her fi ve children — three in New York City, one in Virginia, and one in Puerto Rico — were all juggling their schedules and using their vacation time to provide around-the-clock care for Carla. When we left them, Carla’s children were working hard to introduce home care in a way that enabled Carla to remain comfortably at home."

"Sara's house is organized chaos. With 9 children, 6 still at home (one with special needs), two married daughters with children who visit frequently and assorted nieces and nephews, how could it be otherwise? But it all works, thanks to Sara’s gifts as a master strategist and buoyant sense of humor. As is customary in Orthodox Jewish families, Sara’s children attend Yeshiva (religious school) involving a full day of regular studies and an added religious curriculum. All the children ranging from 7 on up have household chores, including the responsibility of making their own beds and putting away their clothes. On the Sabbath, without fail, the entire family comes together to rest and enjoy one another’s company."

One frightening day last June, Faye’s 82 year-old mother Arlene disappeared from their apartment building. She was soon found ten blocks away and escorted home by the police. Faye responded to this new challenge in her usual way. She got creative. She decided to post signs throughout her Upper West Side building. Alongside a photograph of Arlene and their poodle Fidel, they read, “If you see us, please see us safely home.”

"In 2004, Anna’s parents were living in a 3rd floor walk-up near the store. Anna was married and had a good job with a law firm. While her parents’ health had been declining, she did not grasp the extent of their problems until she received an alarming call from a long-time employee of the pharmacy. Anna needed to come home.

Her father, Herbert, had been slowly losing his memory. The family attributed it to “old age.” When he began hallucinating, no one realized it was a symptom of his dementia. Anna’s mother, herself ill with diabetes and epilepsy, became deeply depressed. Anna quit her job and took over the pharmacy. She eventually moved in with her parents while her husband and two children remained in the Bronx."